Phoenix Wright, Turk Attorney
by Jediempress
Summary: Request fic for Xejicka. Reno's on trial but did he do what he's being accused of? It's up to an ace attorney to find out and clear the Turk's name. KH setting with guest appearances from Advent Children. No yaoi. Completed.
1. Chapter 1

This is a request from Xejicka. I am having a blast with it. This is going to end up a three-parter. I have to give my undying gratitude to Riku-Rocks for pretty much laying this entire damn thing out for me. Hopefully I can write it out as well at she detailed it. Just a heads up, I've never played Phoenix Wright so I'm using my friend Akiko as my guide with him.

It also is not beta'ed so the errors are all mine.

Have fun with this and let me know what you think. Lots of feedback, okay?

Obviously, I don't own KH, FF or Phoenix Wright.

* * *

Phoenix Wright: Turk Attorney

Reno could not believe this was happening. One minute, he's sitting in a comfortable corner booth with a sweet little blonde, whispering in her ear and just about to coax her to come with him to his apartment, the next he's being roughed up by some burly police officers and dragged out of the bar in handcuffs. All the cops would say was he was under arrest for kidnapping.

Now he sat in a cold, bare room and waited. He had no idea what he had supposedly done but he knew for a fact he did not do whatever it was. Since coming to Radiant Garden, he had been a model citizen.

…At least as model as a Turk could be.

The door opened and a detective came in followed by one of the arresting officers. The detective stood across from Reno with a stony expression. "I hear you claim you have no idea why you're here."

"Not a fuckin' clue, yo." Reno drawled out in irritation. "Last I heard, it wasn't illegal to try to get laid; unless she was a minor but she sure as hell didn't look like one."

"You have been arrested for kidnapping with intent to cause harm." The man explained, clearly not amused by Reno's comments. "You have been indicated in the abduction of a woman by the name of Jenova."

"What?" Reno shot up abruptly. The officer stepped forward and pushed him back down on the bench. "That's insane! There's no fuckin' way-"

"Take it up with the judge, I don't care either way." The detective nodded toward the officer who released the redhead and they both headed for the door. The detective paused. "If I were you, I'd get myself a damn good lawyer."

--0—0—

"I cannot fucking believe this," Reno grumbled as he waited for Rude to finish posting his bail. His long time partner's expression was as devoid of emotion as ever but there was a barely noticeable twitch to his eyebrow. "If this is some kind of joke, I'm not laughing."

Rude turned toward him. "Neither am I. Let's go."

Reno immediately fell into place beside him. He had been given back all of his possessions when they took him from his cell and the second they stepped outside, he pulled out a cigarette. "Did they tell you what I supposedly did, yo?"

"Kidnapping." Rude did not turn his head but Reno knew he was being looked at beneath those ever-present sunglasses. "Did you do it?"

"No, I didn't do it!" Reno pulled his smoke from his mouth and walked sideways. "Did you hear who I supposedly nabbed?"

"Who?"

"A woman named Jenova." The redhead snorted agitatedly, taking a drag. "This has to be a joke. Strife or Lockheart, hell maybe even Aerith. She's got plenty of fuckin' reason to wanna get at me."

Rude lifted an eyebrow. "Jenova?"

"Yeah." Reno laughed out. "They could have come up with something more original, yo."

"Whatever this is about, Reno, it's not a joke." The bald man shook his head. "The charges are real. Leonhart tried to get them dropped but they wouldn't budge. They seem to think they have definitive proof."

"There can't be! There's no way!" Reno threw his cigarette butt away. He glanced around and realized they were not heading in the direction of either of their homes. "Where we going, yo?"

"To see a lawyer Leon recommended. The information has been forwarded and he's waiting for us."

Reno stared at the man who he considered his oldest friend. "You're serious, aren't you? Someone's really tryin' to get me put away."

They stopped before a narrow, two-story building. Rude held the door open and waited. Reno hesitated a moment before stepping into the office, Rude just behind him.

The office was simply furnished, the walls bare save for a few degrees above the slightly worn couch along the far side wall. A small table sat before that with two plush chairs framing it. A short, leafy plant rested beside the door.

Beyond what was apparently the lobby area, were two opposing desks. The entire back wall was lined with bookshelves and behind each desk were sets of four filing cabinets. There were several boxes scattered around the space.

Standing behind the right-side desk, routing through one of the boxes on the carpet was a young, black-haired man. The hair was flat on top, sticking out a bit in back with a few bangs framing his face. He muttered to himself in agitation as he searched frantically for something.

Rude loudly cleared his throat and the man looked up, startled. He blinked at them a few times in confusion before something clicked in his head and he quickly straightened out, tugging at his white button-down shirt. "Oh, you must be Reno."

Reno sent Rude a look and muttered. "Squall couldn't get me anyone better?"

"Sorry about all this." The lawyer hurried out, moving away from the desk and coming toward them. "My partner and I just got this office and it's still a mess."

Both Turks glanced at the other side of the office, noting its immaculate appearance.

The man followed the look and rolled his eyes. "Okay, my side's still a mess. Miles is just anal retentive about organization."

Reno gave Rude a pleading look which the bald man did not react to.

"Anyway, I'm Phoenix Wright and I have been hired to represent you." The man held out his hand toward the two, weaving it a bit between them.

Reno stared at it for a moment. Rude's shoulders dropped just a touch as he took the offered hand. "I'm Rude, that's Reno."

"Red hair, right. Should've guessed that." Phoenix eyed the wiry Turk. Abruptly, he turned and idly waved for the two to sit on the couch. "Let me get your file. It was delivered earlier today and I only looked it over once but I got the gist of it."

Reno followed Rude over to the small sitting area. He glanced over the wall of degrees and certificates and awards. There were equal numbers for Phoenix and a Miles Edgeworth. "Either this guy is seriously good or he's a conman I need to make friends with."

"Leon did recommend him."

"Okay," Phoenix returned, dropping into one of the easy chairs and dropping a manila folder on the table. He leaned forward and laced his fingers together. Suddenly he was all business. "All right, you have been charged with one count kidnapping with intent to harm, one count of breaking and entering. Obviously, if you're cleared of one, you'll be cleared of the other."

"I didn't do shit, yo!" Reno spat out. "This is a complete waste of time and munny! They've got nothing on me."

"They found red hair at the scene and there's a witness that will attest to the fact that he saw you at the time the kidnapping took place." The lawyer listed. "It doesn't look good for you."

Reno stood back up and paced around. "This has to be some kind of really fucked up joke! I mean, _Jenova_? Jenova's nothing but a frickin' _head!_"

Phoenix's face twisted. "What?"

"Yeah." The redheaded Turk pulled out a cigarette. "She's not even a person!"

"Well it says here in the police report that she is. The witness said she was his mother."

"Aw, fuck!" Reno cursed. "Them?" He glared at Rude. "How in the name of Shiva are those freaks back?"

"I don't know but if they're involved, you know this is going to get messy." Rude thought out. "It's likely they could have set you up as some kind of revenge."

"But why single out me, Rude?" Tattooed blue eyes narrowed. "I'd think they have a bigger fuckin' grudge against Strife."

"You're an easier target."

Phoenix looked between them in confusion. When the head of the Restoration Committee had called him this morning and asked him to take a difficult and likely tricky case, _this_ was not what he had expected. Absolutely nothing these two were going on about made any sense.

"Look," he broke in. "I'm going to need you two to explain everything you can so I can build a defense for you. We're going to need our own witnesses as to where you were and find some kind of proof that will clear your name."

"So you're simply taking his case?" Rude turned his head to face him.

"Sure!" Phoenix grinned, leaning back and crossing his legs. "I am _the_ Ace Attorney. I can win anything! So sit back down, Reno, and tell me everything!"

--0—0—

Four hours later, Reno and Rude left. Phoenix sat dumbly in the easy chair, a large stack of notes and a pocket recorder before him on the table. The story he had just heard had to be the most convoluted, messed up one he had ever heard.

His partner walked in and frowned as he closed the door. "New case?"

Phoenix nodded numbly.

Edgeworth flicked an invisible bit of dust from his sleeve. "You look concerned about it. You don't think you can win?"

Phoenix made a face at him. There was a blank look to his eyes. "I don't even remember what the case actually is."

A dark grey eyebrow raised.

"You look over all of this." The black-haired one stood. "I dare you to not be completely brain-numb by the end."

The perfectly dressed man carefully took hold of the documents and brought them to his desk. He easily skimmed over them, his expression growing warier as he went through. Two hours later, he flicked his eyes over toward Phoenix, who had moved from the chair to the sofa and was laying back on it dramatically.

"They have to be lying."

"Oh, no, they were quite serious." Phoenix laughed out bitterly. "I have no idea how to approach this."

"Do you completely believe he's innocent?"

After a moment, Phoenix glanced over. "Yeah, actually I do. Despite his horrendous history, I really don't think he did it."

"You can ignore ninety percent of this information." Edgeworth leaned thoughtfully in his office chair. "All that is relevant to the case is proving he did not kidnap… the entity. Unfortunately, given the defendant's occupation, that will prove rather difficult."

"Well," the younger lawyer leapt up. "I've got four days to build a case. I'll figure out a way to get him cleared!"

--0—0--

"Why are you making me wear this?" Reno squirmed as Tifa forced him to sit still and brushed at his unruly hair.

"You wear a suit to work everyday, Reno." She growled out.

"Yeah, well look at how I wear it," he complained, tugging again at his buttoned up collar. "I'm fucking suffocating here."

"Fine, you can leave the very top one undone." She cast her eyes toward Rude as she pulled Reno's hair into a tail. "Marlene and Denzel are easier to deal with."

"Well, I don't fuckin' want to be doing this either." Reno cursed. "I don't understand how the hell this is actually going to trail!"

"Obviously, they believe they have enough evidence to convict you." Tifa finished with his hair and walked around him to straighten out his collar.

"And you flat out refused any of the plea bargains they offered," added Rude.

"I'm not takin' the heat for something I didn't fucking do." The redhead scowled. "I still don't even get the whole kidnapping charge; it'd be theft at best."

Tifa gave him one final look over. "Well, it's the best we're going to get."

"It's not like it matters what I look like." Reno snorted. Blue eyes glanced at the side mirror to take in his respectable appearance. They had forced him into a new suit and tamed his hair into a more slicked back style. His goggles had been taken away and he felt strangely naked without them. "If the jury's gonna hang me, they'll do because of my history."

"Don't go in there thinking that." Tifa advised. She pushed him toward the door, Rude right behind her. "Now, Cloud, Tseng and Aerith will be there but you won't be able to talk to them. Zack, Demyx and I would come but we're under orders not to."

"Elena got a summons for today." Rude commented.

"She did?" Tifa tucked some dark hair behind her ear. "Wow, they've called just about everyone."

"Can we just go and get this over with?" Reno interrupted, waving a hand. He was actually rather concerned about the outcome of this trial. If the prosecution did have some kind of evidence, however circumstantial, and they managed to brig in his history as a Turk he was screwed.

Tifa offered him a reassuring smile and actually kissed his check before moving toward Rude to give him a kiss on the lips. She then smiled again and waved them out the door. Once they left, she frowned and shook her head.

She had a really bad feeling this was not going to end well for Reno.


	2. Chapter 2

Yo. I lied on the first chapter. This will be four parts... maybe five, we'll see. Anyway, there are likely to be several typos and such which I'll fix as I find them but I wanted to get this up. Obviously, there are some plot holes to this whole thing but for the most part it should hang together fairly well. I'm hoping at least.

I still don't own the characters. Alexis Davis is stolen from General Hospital and the Judge is named after one of Sassy-Aloo's relatives.

I hope you all still like this and please leave lots of feedback for me, okay? Thanks!

* * *

Reno fidgeted beside Phoenix, anxious to get started. He had been surprised to see Cid and Yuffie in the gallery, the young woman shooting him two thumbs up as he and Phoenix walked into the courtroom. He tried not to tug at his collar and decided he could really use a cigarette right now.

"Okay, I don't want you to say anything unless directly asked," Phoenix whispered, arranging some papers that he had pulled from his briefcase. "The prosecution has five witnesses called for today but it's unlikely they'll get through all of them. Once through those, we'll get to call our witnesses."

"We have witnesses?"

"Well, yeah, why do you think I spent all that time talking to your co-workers and that neighbor what's his name…"

"Demyx."

"Yeah, he was an interesting guy," Phoenix shook his head. "Anyway, hopefully we'll be able to use the prosecutor's witnesses against them. All the hard evidence is circumstantial at best."

"Whatever you say, yo," Reno took a deep breath. "I just want this over with."

The double doors opened behind them and Reno glanced back a moment. A silver-haired young man walked down the aisle behind the prosecutor. He paid Reno no attention as he moved off to sit in the first row of seats as the prosecutor entered the main floor.

Reno saw Cid and Yuffie's looks of disbelief and made a face at them expressing the same opinion. When he moved to turn back around, Kadaj caught his eye and glared at him, flicking his chin-length hair. Reno's jaw tightened and he quickly looked away.

The prosecutor, a woman by the name of Alexis Davis, nodded at Phoenix as she settled herself behind her table. She did not once look at Reno, clearly not interested in seeing who it was she was attempting to convict. Reno figured it probably was not necessary to know who it was you wanted to lock away for life.

Shortly after her arrival, the jury was brought in. It consisted of eight men and five women, none of whom Reno recognized. Several of them glanced at him curiously and Reno really wanted to ask what they were staring at.

"All rise," the bailiff suddenly announced. As everyone got to their feet, a black robed man came out of the door behind the bench. He was a later-aged man with graying hair and glasses. "The Honorable Judge Walter presiding."

Reno took one look at this guy and decided he was screwed. The man seemed bored and completely disinterested in what was going on as he told everyone to sit back down. Judge Walter flipped open the file before him and read off the case details.

"This is Case 1138, the people against one Reno Sinclair on one count of kidnapping with intent to harm and one count breaking and entering. The defendant has entered a plea of not guilty. Ms. Davis, are you ready to state your case?"

"Yes, sir," the woman stated, standing and walking around the table. She approached the jury and began speaking in a steady, certain voice. "Reno Sinclair is a dangerous man. He has a long history of illicit behavior including theft, espionage, manslaughter, and kidnapping. He would like for us to believe he has reformed but it is clear he has not. He still works for the same employer whom he allegedly performed these atrocious acts under the orders of.

"We have evidence that shows he broke into the residence of one Jenova and her three sons. He then took her from the home for no doubt malicious reasons."

"Objection!" Phoenix jumped up. "First of all, Jenova isn't even a person! She's a head so this whole thing is ridiculous!"

"Don't you dare speak that way about Mother!" Kadaj shouted from the gallery.

"Order!" The judge tapped his gavel several times. Once both Phoenix and Kadaj quieted, the man rubbed at his forehead. "Look, I understand that this is a… unique case. After looking over the information presented, the…head will be seen a person seeing that guardianship over it- her, was granted to her sons. Now that that's cleared up, continue councilor."

"Thank you," Alexis brushed a wisp of honey-colored hair from her forehead.

"Darn it," Phoenix muttered lowly as she called forth her first witness. "I can't believe they're actually going to treat her as a person."

"Knowing Kadaj," Reno glanced back at the named man who was staring at him with clear dislike, "He bullied the judge into it, yo. Those freaks are obsessed with Jenova."

From the door next to the one the jury had entered came in a rather effeminate, silver-haired man. He casually looked over the gallery, pausing for a second on Kadaj before taking a seat in the witness box. He almost seemed bored as he pledged to only speak the truth and was instructed to give his name.

He flicked his bangs and quietly said, "Yazoo."

"Would you give the court your account of the events that took place six days ago?"

Yazoo glanced at Reno before turning his attention on the jury. "I was at home waiting for my brothers to return for the evening. I went into the bedroom to put some clothes away, it was only for about ten minutes, and when I came back into the main room, Mother was gone."

Alexis adjusted her glasses. "Where would your mother normally be?"

"She rests on a high table opposite the entrance of the apartment," Yazoo explained.

"And what did you do when you noticed she was missing?"

"I called my brothers," The long-haired one replied, angling his head slightly as if bored. "Kadaj didn't answer but Loz did. I told him Mother was missing and it was obvious that the Turk did it."

"Objection!" Phoenix smacked the table top.

The judge lifted an eyebrow. "On what grounds, Mr. Wright?"

"Uh…"

Judge Walter nodded once. "Right. Continue, Ms. Davis."

"Thank you," The prosecutor looked again to Yazoo. "How did you know the defendant was responsible?"

"There was red hair where she stayed," replied Yazoo, glancing at Reno. "The same shade as his."

Alexis turned on her heel and walked over to her table and picked up a small bag. "I submit to the court Evidence One, the distinctive red-colored hair."

She handed the bag to the jury to look over and stated that she had no further questions at that time. Judge Walter told Phoenix he could cross-examine and the young attorney stood. He flashed a bright smile at Alexis as he passed her and proceeded to the witness box.

"So, Mr. Yazoo," Phoenix was suddenly all business. "You found some red hair where Jenova's head was, correct?"

"Didn't I just say that?"

"Yes, but you have no proof that _that_ hair," Phoenix whirled and pointed at the baggie in one of the juror's hands, "came from _this_ man!" He pointed at Reno.

"No one else in this town has that color of red hair," Yazoo stated simply.

"Yes, well, that doesn't mean that someone not for this town couldn't have come and stolen the head."

Yazoo narrowed his eyes. "Do not refer to Mother like that."

Phoenix waved the order off. He rushed over to his stack of papers and rummaged through them for a second. He pulled one out rather triumphantly. "I have here the analysis of the hair which came back," he turned toward the jury, "inconclusive!"

He smirked at Alexis and turned the report over to the evidence table. Once he did, he spun on his heel, "No doubt you will all see that my client is not guilty!"

Alexis lifted an eyebrow at him. "Absence of proof does not acquit the defendant, Wright."

"Are you finished with the witness, Councilor?" The judge asked, ignoring Phoenix's crestfallen expression.

"What? Yeah," The black-haired man slumped back to sit beside Reno. He quietly mumbled, "Darn it. I hoped that would be enough for them to throw the case out."

Reno snorted, dropping his head against the table. "If that's the best you've got, I'm fucked, yo."

"No, no," Phoenix spat out hurriedly. "I've still got this, don't worry. Just gotta think of another approach…"

Alexis was back on her feet and calling for her next witness. The side door opened again and in walked another silver-haired male, this one rather bulky with short hair. He sniffled as he took the stand and was sworn in to tell the truth and nothing but the truth. When finished, he flicked his eyes toward Reno before Alexis asked him his name.

"It's Loz," he replied, looking for all the worlds like he was going to cry.

Alexis smiled in a placating way, obviously already annoyed with the deceptively masculine man. "Now, I know this is difficult for you but would you please tell us your take on what happened the night your mother went missing?"

"I was coming home from the store and as I walked into the building, a redhead rushed past me, bumping into my shoulder," Loz explained, brushing at his nose. "A few seconds later, Yazoo called me to say that Mother was taken."

"And what time did all of this occur?"

"Around seven pm."

"Was the man carrying anything when he passed you?"

Loz nodded slowly. "Yeah, but I didn't get a good look at it. It was black and shiny just like Mother's home."

"Thank you, Loz," Alexis patted his arm. "I know this has been painful for you." She looked to the judge. "No further questions."

Phoenix got up again and very sympathetically smiled at Loz. "It's obvious you love your mother very much."

Loz nodded, a few tears escaping him.

"I just have one question for you: Did you happen to actually see the red-haired man's face when he passed you?"

"Uh," Loz glanced in the direction of Kadaj uneasily. "Well, I saw he had pale skin and some kind of mark on his cheek."

"But you never got to _actually_ see enough of it to be certain it was the defendant."

The muscled man shook his head. "No."

"That's all," Phoenix turned around and returned to the table.

Loz was dismissed and quickly left the stand, looking for all the worlds like he was about to burst into tears. He disappeared through the door and Alexis was prompted for her next witness. When she called forth Rude, Reno leaned back in his chair.

"Well, this should be interesting," the redhead smirked as his long time partner entered the courtroom. "Turks don't talk, yo."

"That may work against you," his attorney murmured. "If he won't say what you were doing that day, then you don't have a solid alibis."

Reno winked at Phoenix before he fixed his blue eyes on where Rude was being sworn in and prompted to state his name for the record. The bald man did as told and Reno grinned. "Oh, don't worry, yo. We've got it covered."

Alexis had removed her glasses before walking over to the witness box. She folded her arms and was obviously taking a different approach with Rude. "What do you currently do for living?"

"I'm one of the Security Operatives for Radiant Garden," Rude answered simply.

"And the defendant shares the same occupation, correct?"

"Yes."

"The two of you worked together before taking this position, correct?" Alexis prompted. "You both worked for the Shinra Electric Power Corporation."

"Yes."

"And what is it that you did?"

"We were agents of the Investigative Division of General Affairs Department," Rude's tone did not change.

"More commonly known as the Turks," Alexis clarified, turning to take a few steps toward the jury. "And your job was, basically, to ensure that the company's information, reports, and other secrets remained within the company, yes?"

"Yes."

Alexis paused rather dramatically before adding, "By any means necessary."

"Objection!" Phoenix stood up. "Relevance."

"Your Honor, all I want is to establish that not only does the defendant have the skills necessary to pull off a kidnapping and no scruples regarding committing undue harm to the target of such actions."

"Over-ruled," said Judge Walter. "Watch yourself, Councilor."

"Of course," Alexis faced Rude again. "Let me restate that, the Turks do not have the most positive reputation among those that are familiar with them, do they?"

"We are a misunderstood division," Rude casually declared.

"Is it not true that espionage, kidnapping, and even murder where all rather common occurrences under your previous employer?" Alexis pressed. "Isn't it true that the defendant was at one point ordered to arrange for the mass killings of an entire sector of your home-city?"

Phoenix whipped his head toward Reno. "Is that true?"

Reno sighed, closing his eyes. "Yeah, I was ordered to blow up a support strut for one of the plates so that it would collapse. However, I kinda dragged my heels on it so most of the people had time to escape."

"Should have mentioned that earlier," the attorney growled lowly, returning his attention to Alexis who was prompting Rude to answer.

The bald man answered very neutrally. "He was ordered to flush out a resistance group that was a threat to the company. He only did exactly as he was told."

"Which resulted in countless numbers dying," Alexis sneered. "But he was just following orders."

"Objection!"

"I retract the last statement," the prosecutor conceded. "A few years ago, the Turks were involved in an operation to retrieve the victim from her location and place her in Shinra hands. Reno was involved in the assignment, correct?"

"Yes," Rude confirmed, faint suspicion shading his voice.

"While he wasn't one of the pair that actually took Jenova, he was the one who received her and brought her to your boss, yes?"

"Yes."

"So, he's assisted in the abduction of her before, delivering her to a man he knew wanted to harm her but you want the jury to believe that he wouldn't do it again?"

"Objection!"

"I'm done here," Alexis returned to her seat. "The witness is yours, Mr. Wright."

The black-haired man approached Rude, quickly figuring out what he was going to ask. He had to somehow make the Turks sound a lot less negative. Unfortunately, the group really did have a very questionable reputation.

"You and Reno have worked together for a long time, haven't you?"

Rude nodded once, "Over ten years."

"A Turk's life isn't easy, is it? You have to make a lot of on the spot decisions and carefully consider your options, don't you?"

"Yes."

"In the years you have been working with the defendant, has he ever needlessly acted upon another without being under orders?"

"No," Rude did not hesitate. "Reno has never done more than absolutely necessary to accomplish the job."

Phoenix continued slowly. "He's never acted on his own accord or used the power bestowed upon the Turks for his own gain. Overall, Reno's a pretty laid back guy, right?"

"Very much so."

"Would it be out-of-character for him to act aggressively toward anyone without provocation?"

"Objection," Alexis interrupted. "Relevance?"

"You are attempting to get a kidnapping with intent to harm conviction," Phoenix folded his arms. "I'm asking if the defendant has ever acted in a manner that would prove or disprove the notion that he's a needlessly violent man."

"I'll allow it," the judge nodded toward Rude. "Answer."

"It would be," the large Turk stated. "Reno is very laid back and even when someone attempts to get a rise out of him, he's more likely to shrug them off or use words against them as opposed to becoming involved in an altercation."

"Thank you," the young man smiled. "No further questions."

"Witness is dismissed," Judge Walter glanced at his watch. "Given the lateness of the hour, we will adjourn for today and reconvene tomorrow at nine a.m."

He stood and tapped his gavel on the desk. The jury filed out and most of the gallery did likewise. Yuffie came bounding over, followed by a much more subdued Cid.

They waited behind the divider, Yuffie leaning her hands against the rail. "So how are we doing? You gonna get off?"

"That sounded really bad, Yuffie," Reno snorted, watching Phoenix walk away to speak quietly to Alexis.

After a minute, the lawyer returned. He collected his papers and motioned for Reno to follow him out. He and Reno passed through the swinging doors and left the courtroom, Yuffie and Cid on their heels.

As they walked out of the courthouse, Reno finally asked the question they all wanted to know. "So, how's it look, Phoenix?"

Phoenix made a soft noise. "It's too soon to tell. Even though the evidence is circumstantial, combined with your questionable history, it's enough to make a solid case."

"But isn't there, like, reasonable doubt?" Yuffie asked. "Loz didn't see your face clearly and the hair sample couldn't be traced back to you."

"Well, that's what I'm hoping for," Phoenix rubbed at the back of his neck. "Alexis just told me that she's dropping everyone from her witness list but Tseng. Apparently she thinks she's done enough to prove that you have the capability of committing the crime."

"There's still no fuckin' motive," Cid observed, handing Reno one of his cigarettes. "Unless she's just going to claim that because they fuckin' failed the first time he did it again."

"That's exactly what she's doing," the black-haired man confirmed. Rude and Tifa were waiting down the street. "We're going to keep Elena, Zack and Demyx as our witnesses and just overwhelm the jury with information to create enough reasonable doubt to get you acquitted."

Reno took a drag of his cigarette, free hand in his pocket. "I'm just hoping the Freaks don't have anything up their sleeves. They aren't above threatening the jury, yo."

"I wonder if Sephiroth knows they're here," Yuffie pondered. "It seems kinda weird that there's some big thing to do with his mother and he's nowhere to be found."

Reno paused for a moment. "Yeah, that is kinda odd."

"I'm gonna ask Riku about that next time I see him." The ninja princess waved to Tifa and Rude. "He'll know something. He says he doesn't spend a lot of time with his brother but I know that isn't true."

Cid snorted. "Yeah, good luck with that."

Tifa smiled at the group as she and Rude joined them. "So, it wasn't a horrible day."

"Could've been a lot worse," Reno tapped his fist against Rude's shoulder. "Thanks, partner."

"It was all the truth," the larger Turk stated dismissively. "I still don't understand why Alexis Davis thinks she has a solid case against you. There are a significant number of holes in her case and a large margin of error."

"I don't know either but regardless, there's a good chance she can pull this off," Phoenix advised. "There's an equal amount of questionable evidence on both sides and a clear verdict can't be seen yet. I'll have a better idea of things after Tseng's testimony tomorrow."

"If she's planning to use him to get more information on the Turks, she won't get much out of him," said Rude.

"Well I plan to focus on getting Reno a solid alibi for his whereabouts the day in question, hence why I'm using Elena, Zack and Demyx. They all had contact with Reno throughout the day."

"Tseng can vouch for me, too," Reno added. The group walked past a trash can and he tossed his dead cigarette butt in.

"I'll note that for cross-exam," Phoenix informed them as they came up to the street his office was on. At the corner, the group stopped and the lawyer turned toward them. "A lot of things will happen tomorrow, guys. This isn't over yet but I think we have a really good chance."

"Considering I didn't fuckin' do it, there better be more than a good chance, Phoenix," Reno spoke lowly, looking harshly at the attorney.

Phoenix smiled a bit nervously. "Of course! I'm an ace attorney. It's all good."

He bid them goodbye and headed down the street. He frowned to himself in worry. Yes, this case had a lot of circumstantial evidence but when push came to shove, everything was going to boil down to credibility and that was the biggest hurdle they faced. Unless some kind of solid proof appeared, there was a real question of whether Reno could get off scot-free.

He decided that when he got to the office, he was going to beg Miles to re-go over all the testimony with him. Maybe there was something he missed.


	3. Chapter 3

Reminder, I don't own Kingdom Hearts, Advent Children or Phoenix Wright.

* * *

Tifa again insisted on preparing Reno for court the next morning. This time, he did not complain or make a fuss, mind too occupied with concerns over how today was going to go. He had not slept that night and when Demyx stopped by early in the morning with breakfast, he could not eat it.

As he walked to the courthouse alone, at his insistence, he seriously weighed his options. He could not believe this ridiculous trial was not only moving forward but there was a good possibility that he could be convicted. Of all the wrong things he had done in his life, it was like a twisted irony that he might get busted for the one thing he did not do.

Reno sighed heavily as he approached the courthouse steps. Well, he knew the truth and everyone who mattered believed him so he was just going to have to hold on to that and trust Phoenix to do his job. This whole thing was still completely ridiculous.

He tossed his cigarette into one of the containers designated for them outside the door. As he reached for the door to open it, he heard his name. He turned toward the voice, seeing Phoenix coming up the stairs with another man in tow. Reno assumed it was his law partner.

"Hey," Phoenix greeted, fixing his tie. The flat-silver haired man beside him glanced over and sighed faintly at the mess the attorney was. Phoenix grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, I was running late this morning."

The other pulled at Phoenix's collar. "You usually are. When my case is over for the day, I'll duck into yours. Perhaps I'll be able to pick up on something that will help."

"Thanks, Miles."

The immaculately dressed attorney nodded toward Reno and disappeared into the courthouse. Phoenix stopped fussing with his clothes and placed his attention on Reno. "So, Miles and I went over all of the testimony he's got a few ideas. Like he just said, he's gonna try to sit in as much as he can today."

Joy, more lawyers. "So what's the deal for today?"

"Well," Phoenix held the door open for Reno and then followed him in. "Alexis has her last witness and then we can start calling ours. I spoke to Demyx, Elena, and Zack last night and they should be here today. I doubt I'll get to all of them today but we'll see how things go."

"Fine," they walked down the main hall to the courtroom. This time, not only were Cid and Yuffie waiting outside of it but Cloud and Aerith also. The four looked at Reno as he approached with Phoenix, the women with optimistic expressions and the men almost indifferent.

"See the freak show yet?" Reno muttered to Cloud as he passed him.

"Kadaj and Loz went in a few minutes ago," replied the blond, a light frown on his face. "Riku's trying to figure how and why they're here."

Reno snorted dismissively. "Not that it really makes a difference now, yo. The reason has nothing to do with what they wanna lock me up for. Heard anything from Sephiroth?"

"No but I know he's around." Cloud frowned. "Riku said something about going to find him but I don't know if he did. I haven't spoken to him since yesterday."

"We need to get inside," Phoenix interrupted. They were a little late and he wanted a moment to sit and finalize his strategy for the day. This was his last chance to catch something that would blow the whole case out of the court.

The small group headed in. Kadaj glanced over his shoulder and smirked wickedly at Cloud who completely ignored him. The blond swordsman simply slid into a bench in the back Cid and Aerith. Yuffie decided she wanted to sit closer so she could keep a better watch on everyone in the jury box.

It was only a few minutes before the bailiff called for attention and Judge Walter took the bench. He wore the same bored expression as the day before and when he sat, he did not bother to open the case file before him. "Prosecution, call your witness."

"Okay," murmured Phoenix slowly. "Apparently the judge is already bored with this case."

"That or he already knows the outcome and he just wants to get this over with." Reno watched as Tseng walked in and took the stand. The man was sworn in and sat, expression completely unreadable. He had his Turk Leader face on.

Alexis did not get up from her seat but her posture showed that she knew she was not going to get much out of her last witness. "Would you state your name and occupation for the record please?"

"Tseng. Director of Radiant Garden Security."

"Prior to this you were the Director of Shinra's Investigative Division of General Affairs, correct?"

"Yes."

"And Reno worked under you back then in approximately the same capacity as he does today."

"Yes."

Nodding slightly, Alexis laid her forearms on the table and laced her fingers together. "Could you tell the court what Reno's work schedule was on the day in question?"

Tseng's composure did not alter in the slightest. "He worked the day shift with Rude from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. There was a minor situation that required him to remain until 6:30."

"The apprehension of those two petty thieves, correct?"

"Yes."

"Do you know if he planned to go anywhere after his shift?"

"He said that he was going to meet some others at Seventh Heaven."

Alexis flexed her fingers. "Did he give a time for this meeting?"

"He said they were supposed to meet at seven but he doubted he would be there at that time."

"I'm sure that he called them to let them know he would be late." Alexis smiled faintly.

Tseng gazed at her mildly. "I cannot confirm nor deny that statement."

The female attorney shrugged. "Assuming he did, hypothetically speaking of course, that would have given him plenty of time to stop at the Jenova residence before heading off to meet his friends."

"Objection!" Phoenix shouted. "This is pure speculation!"

"Sustained," agreed Judge Walter. "Watch yourself, Councilor."

"I withdraw the question." Alexis leaned back in her seat. "You were part of the team that originally attempted to take the… victim, right?"

"I was."

"You were badly wounded by…" she searched for the best way to put it, "Jenova's triplets, on that occasion, weren't you?"

"Yes."

"In fact, you and the one with you, I believe her name was Elena, were both unable to complete your task." Alexis continued. "And the defendant was the one who had to finish the mission to abscond with Jenova, correct?"

"Objection!" repeated Phoenix almost desperately. "That occasion has no bearing on this event."

"I am establishing the fact that the defendant has committed the crime previously and went unpunished."

"Only under orders! He has no reason-"

"Order!" the middle-aged man pounded his gravel upon the bench. "Both of you settle down."

Phoenix took a breath and Alexis tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

"You may proceed but get to your point," the judge said to Alexis. He then turned to Tseng. "Answer the question."

Tseng's expression did not noticeably change but Reno knew him well enough to know that the man was not at all happy to be talking about any of this. He felt bad for his superior and fought back the urge to throttle those silver-haired freaks for putting them through this. He still was not entirely convinced that this wasn't some kind of elaborate scheme.

"Reno was the pilot for that assignment and was the one who brought her to our boss."

"And he was well aware of your boss' intention to destroy her."

"Objection!"

"No further questions." Alexis took her attention away from Tseng and picked up her pen. She appeared completely disinterested in any line of questioning Phoenix might direct at her witness.

The black-haired attorney studied Tseng for a long moment. He was not sure what he could ask the Turk leader that would help Reno's defense in any significant way. This case was so full of circumstantial evidence…

"Your Honor, my apologies for arriving late. I was tied up with another case."

Phoenix looked over and thought he was going to start laughing hysterically. Miles smoothly set his soft-sided briefcase on the table, sparing a mere second to glance at Phoenix. Beside him, Reno narrowed his eyes in confusion.

"I thought you said he was just going to sit in, yo."

Phoenix shrugged.

"I ain't paying for both of you."

Judge Walter smiled slightly at the newcomer. "I wasn't aware you were serving as co-council, Mr. Edgeworth."

"We were uncertain if my prior commitment would interfere," He straightened his caveat. "That case is over now."

"Excuse me." Alexis stood, looking extremely put off. "The defense can't just suddenly add another attorney this far into the trial. He hasn't been present for enough of the testimony."

"Begging your pardon," Miles politely nodded at the woman. "But I am well informed of what has already taken place and if the Judge will allow it, I'd like to begin cross-examination of the witness."

"By all means." The graying man waved for Miles to proceed.

Before heading toward Tseng, the elegantly dressed lawyer muttered to Phoenix. "Now's the time to start figuring out how you're going to turn this around."

Reno watched Miles as he began carefully asking Tseng questions about the Turks, Shinra and eventually Jenova. The man was extremely good with wording, obviously understanding what Tseng would be willing to reveal. He leaned toward Phoenix and whispered, "Why didn't I hire him in the first place?"

"Miles never would have taken the case," murmured the attorney, only partially paying attention to what his partner was asking. He knew Miles had only interceded to give him some time to think. "This whole case is going to boil down to how the jury interprets the circumstantial at best evidence and how they ultimately view you. In any other setting, this would never have gone to court but obviously the laws here have yet to be fine tuned."

"Joy," Reno sighed. He leaned his head back and spotted Kadaj. The remnant flicked his eyes at him and glared hatefully. "So basically I'm screwed."

"There's gotta be some sort of concrete proof that you're innocent. I just need to figure out what I'm missing…"

"Thank you, Tseng," Miles stated. "I have nothing further for the witness."

He returned to table and sat beside Reno. "This whole event is absurd."

"Yep," agreed Reno.

"I see there are no further witnesses for the prosecution so-"

"Actually," Alexis stood. "If you look in the paperwork, I filed to add one more."

Phoenix, Reno and Miles all whipped their heads toward her. Obviously, Phoenix had not received anything about this. "We didn't get anything on that!"

"I'm sorry," she smiled in a falsely sympathetic manner. "He's a very last minute addition."

Judge Walker located said paper and after glancing over it, nodded. "Call your last witness."

"Thank you." The woman turned slightly. "I call upon Reno Sinclair."

"What?" Phoenix shouted, standing up. "You can't-"

"Calm down, Councilor." Walter advised. "I agree it's unusual but I think we need to hear the defendant's story from his own mouth."

"Then you must allow us a brief recess to speak with our client," Miles stated firmly.

Walter clearly did not want to drag this out any longer than he had to but he nodded. "There will be a ten minute recess. When we return, Mr. Sinclair takes the stand."

He tapped his gavel and left the room, as did the jury. Alexis gave them an unhappy look but began sorting through her papers. A few members of the gallery got up, including Cid who was probably after a cigarette which sounded damn good to Reno.

Even before Phoenix and Miles could talk to him, Yuffie flounced over. "Can she really make him talk? Why would she want him to take the stand?"

"If she can get him to incriminate himself, it pretty much closes the case for her," Miles explained.

"Reno," Phoenix claimed the Turk's attention. "No matter that she says or asks, you have to remain calm. If you lose your temper on the stand, it'll blow our case."

"I know that!" Reno hissed. "I'm not an idiot."

"Sure could have fooled me." Kadaj shouted over. How he heard the conversation from where he and Loz sat was beyond any of them.

"Shut up, freak!"

Kadaj stood and narrowed his eyes dangerously at Reno. "What did you do with Mother?"

"I didn't do nuttin' with her, yo!" The Turk replied loudly. "Maybe she got up and walked away."

Yuffie snorted as Kadaj's look became murderous. Loz glared angrily at them also. The pair moved to advance but Cloud smoothly stepped in their way.

Kadaj smirked at the blond wickedly. "Hello, Brother."

"Why are you here?"

The young silver-haired male shrugged. "Does it really matter? Seen Big Brother lately?"

"No."

"I'm starting to think he doesn't like us anymore," mulled Kadaj. "Not since he found our other brother."

Reno tuned out the rest of the conversation. Cloud could deal with the Jenova freaks, he wanted nothing to do with any of them ever again. Well, with the exception of Riku. He rather liked the teenager and while the kid may have been a part of the whole mess, he didn't play into any of the Mother shit.

Phoenix and Miles were going over notes so Reno focused on Yuffie and her animated retelling of something that happened the night before with Zack and Leon. He didn't really process most of it, too preoccupied with the fact that he was going to have to actually get up in front of everyone and defend himself for a crime he didn't commit.

The ten minute recess passed and everyone filed back into the courtroom. Once they were called back to order, Alexis commanded Reno to take the stand. The Turk glanced uneasily at Phoenix a moment before slinking up to the witness box.

The bailiff swore him in and he tried to sit straight as Alexis approached him with an artificially sweet smile. He figured that sitting here looking like a total slob was not going to help him any. The jury probably already had a horrible opinion of him.

"Would you please state your name and occupation for the record?"

Reno fought back the sarcastic response he wanted to say and simply answered the question. It was unbelievable how redundant the legal system could be. As if no one here knew all of that information already.

"And would you tell us, Mr. Sinclair, your _exact_ whereabouts for the entire course of the day Jenova went missing?"

"I got up around 7:30, grabbed a ten minute shower and went to work. I stayed at the building until nine then went on patrol with Elena. We returned a little before noon and then I went to lunch with Rude and Tifa. While there, Zack called and asked me to meet up with him and a few others at Seventh Heaven after work. From one until around 3:30 which was when that attack Tseng talked about happened. Once that was handled, I went straight home, changed and headed to the bar."

"Tseng stated earlier that you were let go around 6:30." Alexis reiterated the man's testimony. "You say you went straight home. Do you have any sort of proof that you did?"

"I talked to my neighbor, Demyx for a few minutes as he was leaving to see his friend Riku who I guess was having some kind of crisis or something, I wasn't really paying attention."

Alexis raised an eyebrow at this. Apparently, she did not know about this conversation. Not at all deterred, she asked, "And do you recall at what exact time that was?"

"No," Reno spat out. "If I'd known I was gonna be hauled in for bogus charges I would have paid more attention, yo."

Phoenix shot him a look that clearly read _watch yourself_. The attorney took a deep breath and listened as Alexis prodded his client for minute-by-minute details of everything between six and eight p.m. She also went into the distances between work, his apartment and the sight of the kidnapping. It was unfortunately working against them because there was enough space that he could have theoretically committed the crime

Miles leaned toward him and whispered, "I do hope this Demyx is more detail orientated than Reno."

"I think so. He was really specific about what happened when I interviewed him. He's our first witness."

"Do you have those notes?"

"Yeah," the black-haired lawyer rooted through his paperwork. Once he found the page he needed, he moved to hand it over then froze.

He had gone over to the young man's apartment the day after taking Reno's case. Demyx had been very friendly and open, talking easily about anything that Phoenix asked. He remembered that the musician had said he was concerned about a friend who was in an awkward position.

Glancing at the notes he had taken, the name Riku was there. Hadn't Cloud been talking about a Riku? And didn't Yuffie say something about him in conjunction with Jenova?

"Phoenix?"

He blinked and turned toward Edgeworth. "What?"

"Do we want to ask Reno anything?"

"Uh," he took a moment to collect himself and stood. "We have no questions at this time but hold the right to recall him later."

Judge Walter nodded. "Fine. The witness may step down. We'll break for lunch and reconvene at one o'clock."

Reno returned to the table, looking worn and extremely unhappy. "That fucking sucked, yo. What the hell was the point?"

Phoenix was not listening. He quickly gathered his files and shoved them toward his partner. "Here, if I'm not back in time, stall."

Edgeworth stared at him in confusion. As Miles ran out of the courtroom, he called out. "Where are you going?"

If his memory was correct, there had been a picture on one of Demyx's bookshelves…"To hopefully live up to my reputation as the Turnabout Lawyer."


	4. Chapter 4

By the time the lunch break was over, Phoenix still had not returned. Edgeworth seemed unconcerned and through the short lunch that Aerith had brought to them, he had remained calm and relaxed. He casually sipped the tea she handed him and read over a hard-copy of the trial's events and testimony so far that he had somehow managed to procure from the court reporter.

Rude had arrived and spoken to Cloud briefly before the blond left. Reno asked where he was going but Rude just shook his head and said he didn't know. Loz had joined up with Kadaj and Yazoo and the three spent the entire break staring Reno down. He did his best to ignore them and focus on what Yuffie was carrying on about.

When they finally returned to the courtroom, Reno was getting fidgety and finally whispered loudly, "Where the hell is he?"

"Locating the crucial piece of evidence that will prove you innocent of these charges," returned Miles. The man then frowned slightly. "At least I hope he is."

"You _hope?_"

"All rise." The bailiff ordered as the jury followed by Judge Walter returned to their seats.

"Now," the not-quite-elderly man began, idly wiping at his brow. "Is the prosecution finally finished with its witnesses?"

"Yes, Your Honor." Alexis appeared to be disinterested about who the defense would be calling up to testify."

Walter placed his attention on Edgeworth and lifted an eyebrow. "Where is Mr. Wright?"

"He… had to step out for a moment." The immaculately dressed former-prosecutor said slowly. "A… personal issue came up."

"The cafeteria lunch disagreed with him too, eh?" It was now noticeable that the judge looked rather uncomfortable.

"Something like that." Miles quickly agreed.

"Normally I avoid eating the food there at any cost," said Walter. "However, my wife is out of town visiting her sister and I certainly can't cook so I had to make do. Probably would have done better to not eat at all…"

He abruptly shook his head. "Ah, well. I'm sure he'll be here shortly. Are you able to proceed without him?"

Miles declined his head. "If that is what the court desires."

"I'd like to get at least one of your witnesses done today."

"Then the defense calls Demyx to the stand." Mile's voice was as even and smooth as ever but as he turned toward the table Reno sat at, the Turk noticed a faint twitch to his eye.

The redhead could tell the attorney was unhappy about this and he leaned back casually in his chair despite his own unease. "So, we boned?"

"Boned?"

"Screwed."

"Oh." Edgeworth fixed his cravat. "So long as Wright hurries with whatever it is he's doing, we should be all right. Hopefully, I'll be able to draw out the questioning."

A dark blond man was stepping into the witness box, looking extremely nervous. He flicked his sea-green eyes at Reno and offered a quick smile before setting his attention on the bailiff. He was sworn in and quickly sat down.

Miles approached him, a mild smile on his face. "Would you please state your name?"

"Well, he just said it… but it's Demyx."

"Thank you, Demyx. Now would you inform the court how you know the defendant?"

"Uh, sure." The young man shifted a little in the chair so that he was angled more toward the jury. "Reno lives next door to me. He lived there before I did but I don't remember how much longer that was."

The silver-grey haired man nodded once. "How would you describe your neighbor?"

"Well, I don't really see him too often because he works a lot and stuff and isn't home much but everything I do he's really laid back and just fun to talk to. He's hung out at my place a few times and that's gone really well."

"So you would say that Mr. Sinclair is a nice guy?"

"Oh, yeah!" Demyx grinned brightly. "He's great. He's a lot of fun and knows lots of interesting things. Heh, I remember this one time he came over and we were watching this spy movie and they were breaking into this place and he was detailing everything they did wrong. It was hilarious!"

Reno groaned and dropped his head into his hand. Now he understood why Rufus and Rude would get so exasperated with him. The old saying was true: nothing is truly irrelevant when it comes to investigation. He just knew that when Alexis' turn came, she was going to tear into Demyx about that one.

"I'm certain it was." Miles said neutrally, not needing to look to see Alexis making notes. He quickly moved the questioning forward. "Did you see Reno on the day of the kidnapping?"

"Yeah, he came home from work as I was leaving to see my friend."

"Do you remember what time that was?"

"Around seven twenty. I was supposed to met Riku at the coffee shop at seven thirty but I was late because I got caught up talking to Reno in the hallway."

"And what were you talking about?"

Demyx pursed his lips for a moment. "Well, I said that he looked really tired and kinda ruffled up, will more so than usual cause he always looks like a bit of a slob. And he said they'd had a rough time at work. I asked if he had just gotten off and he said about an hour ago but he had taken the long way home because he needed to relax a little before heading back out. After I head what happened, I'm not surprised he had taken his time. That was some intense stuff!"

"I've heard that." Miles paced a few steps. So far, Demyx's testimony really was not helping Reno's case any. It wasn't making it worse, but it definitely wasn't making any progress toward proving the man's innocence. "Did Reno appear to be winded or in any way exerted when you spoke?"

"No," Demyx shook his head. "He was pretty relaxed, just tired."

"There was no indication at all that he had been hurrying or rushing prior to arriving at the apartment complex?"

"Nope."

Well, that should help. While the prosecution had established that there feasibly was enough time for Reno to have committed the kidnapping, he would have had to hurry to do it. "Did you discuss anything else?"

"Not really. Like I said, I was kinda in a hurry to go see Riku. He had called me and said that he was having an emotional conflict over something that he couldn't talk about and he needed a distraction so we were going to hang out at the coffee shop for awhile."

It was completely off subject but Miles was trying to drag out the proceedings so he commented, "I hope your friend was able to figure things out."

"He hasn't yet," sighed Demyx. "Actually, he just seems to be getting worse. He still won't tell me what it is but I'm pretty sure it has to do with his brother."

Reno looked back at the gallery and immediately noticed Kadaj's jaw tighten. All three of the remnants were now staring at Demyx and Reno was positive that they would be cornering him the moment they had the opportunity. The musican was gonna need some protection after this

"Your Honor," Alexis stood. "I'm sorry but what does any of this have to do with the case?"

"She has a point." Judge Walter agreed. He placed his attention on Edgeworth. "Either move on or finish."

Miles nodded, quickly coming up with a few more redundant but relevant questions. He prodded Demyx more about Reno's character, earning a few more odd stories that were thankfully far less incriminating than the first he told. This took up another half-hour and Phoenix still hadn't returned.

Reno slouched in his seat, tuning out the repetitive questioning. He just wanted this whole thing over with. This was getting more ridiculous and he hoped that, if nothing else, some major changes to the legal system of Radiant Garden would be made after this.

Miles took a shallow breath. He had run out of questions and it was clear by the judge's expression that he was getting annoyed. "One last question, Demyx: Has Reno said or done anything to even give the slightest impression that he would intentionally cause anyone else harm?"

"No." Demyx stated firmly. He glanced at Reno with a certain smile. "Reno does what he has to for his job and that's it. Outside of work, he's a completely cool guy who would rather help people than see them suffer."

"Thank you, Demyx." Miles declined his head a touch at him before turning to the judge. "No further questions at this time."

As he returned to his seat, Alexis was up and practically stalking toward Demyx. The dark blond's demeanor changed noticeably and Reno felt his jaw tighten. The woman better not lay into the man too hard or Reno was going to have words with her later. Demyx was a good kid and didn't deserve to be put on the spot by an overly aggressive prosecutor.

"You seem to know the defendant well despite having said you didn't interact with him fairly often."

"Yeah," Demyx agreed. "I'm really good with reading people and I feel I've hung around him enough to have a good feel for him. Most of the people I know that would have reason to think badly of him don't."

"Have the two of you ever talked about what you did before coming to Radiant Garden? Ever speak of your past with each other?"

"No. "The young man bit his lip uncomfortably. "He doesn't like to talk about that and I don't really discuss mine. When we came here, we both saw it as a fresh start."

"Interesting how you can say you have a good feel for him when you know nothing about his life prior to arriving here."

"Objection." Miles stated loudly. "The prosecution has no grounds what-so-ever to be being the witness' judgment and decisions into question."

"Sustained."

Alexis moved on without missing a beat. "You stated earlier that Reno has made comments involving the poor execution of criminal activities in film and television. Has he ever gone into detail as to how they should be performed or does he simply leave it at they are incorrect?"

"Uh, well, usually it's just little things like 'if they did that for real, they would be busted in less than three minutes' or 'that's totally not how you do that, yo'." Demyx shrugged a little. "I never asked for details."

"But he has clearly demonstrated a solid skill, at least technical, in infiltration and theft?"

Sea-green eyes looked worriedly at Reno as Demyx answered. "I guess."

"I have no further questions, Your Honor." Alexis returned to her seat in a rather smug manner.

"Well, then," Walter straightened out his back. "If there are no further quest-"

"Hold it!"

Everyone in the courtroom turned at the sound of the doors banging against the nearest aisles, causing the few people in them, including Yuffie, to jump. Phoenix marched in, face set with determination as he pushed past the short door to the main floor and passed Alexis. He approached the witness box with an odd smile. "I have new evidence and a witness that clears my client completely!"

"You do?" The judge, Alexis, Demyx and Reno all stated at the exact same time. Edgeworth simply smirked and muttered, "It's about time."

"Yes." The flat-spiked haired man grinned. He spun on his heel to face Demyx. From his jacket pocket, he pulled out a framed picture and held it before the witness. "Can you identify the two young men in this photograph for the court?"

"Yeah," Demyx seemed a little confused by the question. "Those are my friends Riku and Axel."

"And what color is Axel's hair?"

"Red." Understanding slowly lit up Demyx's eyes. Reno sat up and leaned forward with sudden interest. There were a few photographs on Demyx's bookshelves and now that he thought about it there had been a redhead on one of them…

"Red." Phoenix agreed. "The exact same shade as Reno Sinclair's."

He whirled toward the jury. "Ladies and gentlemen, I present Defense Evidence One!"

"Excuse me," Alexis interrupted in irritation. "I've heard of this Axel person and he's been dead for several years. This in no way clears the defendant-"

"Ah, but he isn't dead!" Phoenix's grin somehow got brighter. "He's very much alive and I have witness testimony that he's the one who absconded with Jenova's head!"

"Stop calling Mother that!" Kadaj shouted.

"Axel's alive?!" Demyx jumped up. "I knew it! I knew he'd be back!"

"Order!" Judge Walter pounded his gavel a few times. Once everyone settled down, he gave Phoenix a hard look. "You better have something solid here, son."

"I do," assured the black haired man. "First, Demyx, you are excused."

"You don't get to do that." Walter growled. He glanced at the blond. "You're dismissed."

Demyx clearly wanted to stay to hear what was going on but he was escorted out by the bailiff and didn't get a choice in the matter. Reno had a feeling he was going to be racing out once fully cleared and back in the gallery in under five minutes. He knew that Demyx had been hoping for a long time that one of his old friends would show up.

However that meant very little to him at the moment. He placed all of his attention on Phoenix and wondered just what the hell he had found that would concretely clear him. Unless he got Axel himself to come in and say he was the one who stole the head but that seemed extremely unlikely. No one in their right mind would do that, especially with the freak brothers present.

"Now, Mr. Wright." The judge laced his fingers together before him on the bench. "Let's hear this."

"Wait a minute!" Alexis stood and glared at Phoenix. "You can't just barge in here with some mysterious witness without giving me time to prepare for it!"

"You didn't give us notice when you called Mr. Sinclair to the stand." Miles noted softly.

"That was different. He's already involved in the case. Whoever this person is that Phoenix magically found has not once been present in any of the proceedings nor even mentioned before now!"

"I understand but, "Phoenix turned and looked pleadingly at Judge Walter, "I assure you, this witness will seal the case and he's taking an enormous risk just by coming forward. In fact, I was hoping you'd be willing to hear him in private."

Walter pursed his lips. He thought something over for several minutes before taking a breath. "All right, here's what we'll do. Bailiff, bring this witness of the defense to my chamber. I'll interview them and if I feel they should take the stand then they will."

"Thank you, Your Honor!" Phoenix bowed happily. He stuck his tongue out at Alexis as she huffed and headed for Reno and Edgeworth as the bailiff came toward him. The lawyer grinned at his client as he passed him. "Let me point him out to the bailiff and I'll be back."

"You better start fucking explaining all of this, yo."

"I will!" Phoenix called over his shoulder.

Reno watched him a moment then faced Edgeworth. "Is it always like this with him?"

"Yes." The dark-silver haired man confirmed. "Nerve-wracking, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

Judge Walter stood with a barely concealed sigh. "All right, there's a fifteen minute recess while I screen the witness."

He left through the side door and the jury filed out their door. The gallery was not allowed out until the bailiff returned and let them go. They were really trying to keep this new witness' identity secret.

"Any idea who Phoenix found?" Yuffie asked as she again rushed over to the rail behind the defense table.

"It doesn't matter." Kadaj snarled out, looking rather murderously at them. "Mother will be returned and someone will pay for taking her."

"It's highly unlikely that whoever is found guilty will have the chance to actually serve time." Yazoo stated quietly.

"Yeah." Loz seconded.

"Oh, give it a rest." Yuffie made a face at them. "Yunno, shouldn't you guys be, oh I don't know, _looking_ for her instead of sitting around and watching this?"

"Mother wants us here." Kadaj informed her. "She wants us to see that justice is done. When it is, she will be returned to us."

"Uh huh." Yuffie turned back to Reno and Edgeworth and twirled her finger beside her head mouthing _crazy_.

"Yep." Reno stood and stretched. "So where did Spike go?"

"No idea but I saw him pulling out his phone to make a call as he left."

Shrugging, Reno glanced at Miles. "Can I get a smoke?"

"That should be all right."

"Good," the redhead sighed out gratefully. He stepped out from the table and left the main floor followed closely by Yuffie. Rude and Cid met up with them in the back near the doors and the three walked into the lobby together. As Cid handed Reno one of his cigarettes, the Turk caught sight of three people waiting near the judge's office door. "What are Zack and Leon doing here?"

"What?" Yuffie and Cid looked over. Cloud, Zack and Leon were indeed gathered outside the judge's chamber door. All three seemed to be anxious.

Before they could say anything, Phoenix had joined them and clasped Reno's shoulder. "Well, if Judge Walter believes our witness, you'll be home free in less than half an hour."

"Believes, huh?" The cigarette rested unlit on Reno's lower lip as he glanced at Rude. "Do I want to know what's going on?

"Not really. It's very…convoluted, even for this group."

The redhead nudged his head toward the three across the way. "Those three have anything to do with it?"

"In-directly." Phoenix frowned for the first time since returning from his mission. "They're acting as guards should there be any trouble."

"What kind of trouble?"

"Where is he?" Kadaj shouted as he barreled past the few people hovering around the doorway. Yazoo and Loz were right behind him. They stomped toward Cloud, who stepped forward with Zack and Leon taking flanking positions. "Where's Brother?"

"Calm down, Kadaj." Cloud spoke softly but with an edge. "If you want to stand a chance of seeing your mother again, let us handle this."

"So you do have her." Yazoo calmly stated.

"No." Zack shook his head. "But now we know what happened to her."

Reno, Phoenix, Yuffie and Cid had all come over now and most of the others in the lobby were watching the scene with intense interest. Even Edgeworth and Alexis had come out to see what the commotion was about. It appeared everyone wanted to know what was about to unfold.

"Tell us where she is." Kadaj growled lowly, glare fixed on Cloud.

"We don't know."

"Then tell us what you do know." The shortest of the silver-haired trio snarled. "Or if you'd rather, we'll go ask Brother ourselves."

The three made for the judge's door and Cloud, Zack and Leon all blocked their path. A tense silence fell over the scene as both sets of three silently dared the other one to do something. The stand-off stretched out into minutes before Kadaj very abruptly chuckled. "I guess we're all about to find out."

"What are they talking about?" Phoenix murmured in Reno's ear and the Turk had to fight to not reflexively punch him. He despised when people did that to him.

The people still near the courtroom doors looked back into the room. A few began drifting back in and Miles caught Phoenix's attention. "The jury is coming back."

Kadaj purposely brushed up against Cloud as he turned to return to the room along with everyone else. The blond made an angry noise to which Kadaj laughed at. The lead remnant shot an evil look at Reno as he passed him. Reno made a lunge at him but Rude held him back with a hand on his shoulder.

"You're close to getting out of this. Don't blow it now."

"Yeah, I'll believe that when it happens." Reno mumbled. "With my luck, the judge'll decide this all some kind of twisted prank and we'll all be thrown in the joint."

"Likely." Zack grinned as he passed the two Turks. "The jail won't know what to do with us."

They all filed into the courtroom, the bailiff motioning for Cloud and Leon to come forward. The two men did so, expressions tight. The three spoke briefly and the law officer pointed for them to go back into the judge's chambers.

"Is that a good thing?" Reno muttered, not expecting an answer. He, Phoenix and Edgeworth continued on to the main floor and took their places at the table. Alexis was already waiting at hers, looking a bit nervous for the first time since the beginning of the trial.

The judge's door cracked open again when the bailiff began telling everyone to rise, Judge Walter emerged and cut him off. "We're way past that now. Everyone just sit so we can end this."

The late middle-aged man looked worn and overwhelmed as he sat at his bench. Huffing a breath, he shook his head as if trying to clear it. "I just heard the most… amazing story. It was so unbelievable it has to be true.

"Given light of the new information I have received, I declare this trial over and all charges against Reno Sinclair dismissed."

"Yes!" Phoenix shouted, along with Yuffie. Alexis was unhappy and clearly confused as to what had made the judge come to this decision.

Reno slumped back into his chair, feeling an odd mix of relief and apprehension. He was glad this was finally over but had the bad feeling things were really just starting. There was still the mystery of who really did take Jenova's head and where it was now.

"What?" Kadaj shrieked, standing up with rage in his eyes. He was followed by Yazoo and Loz. Zack immediately moved to intercept any attempt they made to leave their aisle. "Where's MOTHER?"

While everyone's attention was on Kadaj, who was clearly prepared to call on some powerful magic to take down the building, the chamber door opened again. From it stepped out first Cloud, then a silver-haired man younger than Kadaj, followed by Leon and Demyx. The silver-haired one moved ahead of the other three, his expressive aqua eyes fearful but steady.

"Sephiroth has her."

Kadaj fixed his attention on the youth, along with everyone else. "Little Brother Riku. I should have known you were part of this."

"No, I'm not." Riku countered. "I found out about everything after the fact."

"Would someone please explain all of this?" Alexis asked loudly in frustration.

"I think that's your cue, son." Judge Walter nodded toward Riku.

Riku focused his attention on the Remnants. "Sephiroth took Jenova away from you because he decided you were unable to properly care for her."

"He… he took her away?" Loz sniffled.

"Yes, he decided to give you one last test. Instead of simply collecting her himself, he got Axel to take her. If you were able to prevent him from taking her then he would let you hold onto her. Obviously, you failed miserably."

"How do you know all of this?" Demyx asked softly beside him. "You told everyone that you don't really talk to Sephiroth."

"I don't but that doesn't mean I don't see him on occasion." Riku bit his lip. "I was out there the day before the kidnapping and Sephiroth's cell phone rang. I glanced at the display was surprised to see it said Axel. I figured it had to be someone else but it nagged at me so I copied the number.

"The day of the incident, I saw Axel sneaking around in town. I talked to him for a few minutes, asked what he was doing and he only said he was doing a little job for my brother and I'd have to ask him about it. The whole thing gave me a bad feeling and I wanted to ask Sephiroth but… I just couldn't at that point.

"It was a few days later that I found out about the arrest and I pieced together what must have happened. I went to Sephiroth about it and he wouldn't confirm or deny it but Axel showed up and I knew I was right. Sephiroth realized this and told me to keep quiet about it. He wanted to see how things would unfold and if Kadaj, Yazoo or Loz would figure out where Jenova was and try to reclaim her."

Kadaj's expression had gone blank. "Big Brother took her from us?"

"Yes."

"And he has her now?"

Riku was reluctant to answer. "Yes."

Kadaj turned on his heel. The other two wordlessly followed.

Cloud broke away from the others near the bench. "I'll make sure they don't cause any trouble in town."

"I'm coming, too." Zack jogged after him. Rude glanced at them as they passed and after a quick glance at Reno, he also followed Cloud.

"Well, my job is done," Phoenix began cleaning up his papers. Edgeworth had already done so and patiently waited for his partner to finish.

"Don't you guys have a ton of questions?" Yuffie asked. "I mean, I'm still kinda lost."

"It's simple." Miles fixed his a bit of hair that had fallen. "This Sephiroth decided that the triplets were improper custodians of Jenova's head and presented them with a chance to prove otherwise. He had this Axel person abduct the head, proving that they were in fact incompetent and he is in current possession of the entity."

"Meaning Reno had nothing to do with it." Phoenix concluded, picking up his briefcase. "Case closed, we got the charges against our client dropped and now, we wait for the check."

Reno snorted. "Send the bill to Leon. He's the one who hired you."

"Your welcome." The sable-haired man stately flatly, placing a hand on Riku's shoulder. Demyx was on the boy's other side and they both seemed to be trying to reassure him that he did the right thing.

Riku looked over at Reno, worrying his lip. "I'm sorry you had to go through this, Reno. If I had just come forward…"

Reno waved the apology off. "Forget it, kid. I get it. I wouldn't want to be the one exposing General Psycho's grand plans either."

Riku didn't look a whole lot better but he nodded.

Phoenix turned to Reno and held out his hand. "It's been an interesting case, Reno. Don't take this badly but I hope to never have to defend you again."

"Hey," Reno didn't shake his hand but he cuffed the defense attorney's arm. "The feeling's mutual, yo."

Phoenix nodded to the general room and headed for the gallery area. Edgeworth repeated the gesture and followed after. Near the doors out, Phoenix muttered loudly. "That was the most insane case I've ever dealt with."

"More insane than Maya's hamburger guy?"

"Yes. Though I think she was pretending to channel him as an excuse to keep going to the hamburger shop…"

"Well, if I'm not needed any more either," Reno undid the top three buttons of his shirt and ruffled up his hair. "I'm outta here, yo."

"Where you headed to?" Demyx asked as he, Riku and Leon left the bench and crossed the main floor.

"I'm going back to the bar." The red-haired Turk took the lead as everyone filed out. "Hopefully I still have a chance with that blonde."

-END-

* * *

Okay, it's finally finished! Hopefully that wasn't too lame or predicatable. Again, I have to thank Tifa for helping put the plot together. I think I executed it pretty darn well. There's a few minor continuity issues I'll be going back to fix. Please let me know what you think. Thanks so much for reading!


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